Fresh Startup and Venture Investment News for Monday, December 29, 2025: Record AI Rounds, Venture Fund Activity, Key Deals, and Global Investment Trends for Venture Investors.
By the end of 2025, the venture market is showing signs of recovery after a prolonged downturn. Major funds and corporations are announcing extensive investment programs, while governments are launching new incentives for technology startups. Investors worldwide are once again actively financing high-tech businesses. The USA remains a leader due to a boom in artificial intelligence, record inflows from sovereign funds are bolstering the Middle East, and defense and medical technologies are gaining momentum in Europe. India and Southeast Asian countries are attracting record levels of capital despite regulatory risks in China. Meanwhile, Chinese authorities are supporting "hard tech," launching three national funds of 50 billion yuan each to invest in semiconductors, quantum technologies, biomedicine, and other innovative sectors. This is shaping a new global venture boom with a broad geographical reach.
Major Rounds of the Week
- Swedish startup Lovable — $330 million (Series B round, valuation $6.6 billion). The company is developing a software generation platform from textual descriptions, having reached $100 million in annual revenue within just 8 months and $200 million in a year.
- American fintech Erebor Bank — $350 million (Series D, valuation ~$4.35 billion). Provides banking services to crypto and AI companies.
- ZeroAvia (USA/UK) — $150 million (Series D) for the development of hydrogen engines for aviation, aimed at zero emissions.
- SanegeneBio (USA) — $110 million (Series B) for the development of RNAi therapies and new drugs.
- Israeli Cyera — $400 million at a valuation of $9 billion. The startup creates an AI cybersecurity platform to protect corporate data.
- Latin fintech Plata — $500 million (round from Nomura, valuation $3.1 billion). Founded by former employees of Tinkoff Bank, the company issues banking cards (limit up to $200,000) with cashback and extends credit to 2.5 million customers in Mexico.
- Clio (Canada) — $500 million (Series I, valuation $5 billion). The corporate travel and expense service closed the round while expanding global sales following a recent IPO from competitor Navan.
These deals reflect a trend toward capital concentration: according to Crunchbase, in 2025, over 70% of all investments in American startups were in rounds exceeding $100 million (including record $40 billion in OpenAI). Similar patterns are observed globally: more than 60% of global VC capital is directed toward mega-rounds. The influx of private capital is supported by major funds (SoftBank, Mubadala, fund programs in the USA) and national institutions around the world.
AI and Investment Boom
The artificial intelligence sector continues to be a driver of venture growth. Analysts estimate that in 2025, investors poured over $200 billion into AI projects — nearly half of all global venture capital investments. This is reflected in numerous rounds and increased valuations: SoftBank and Nvidia are negotiating to invest more than $1 billion in Israeli startup Skild AI (valuation ≈ $14 billion) — a developer of universal models for robots.
Additionally, several notable projects have attracted significant investments:
- Flex (USA/India) — $60 million (Series B). The fintech startup creates AI tools for managing finances for medium-sized businesses, consolidating the entire corporate finance stack into one platform.
- GC AI (USA) — $60 million (Series C, valuation ≈ $555 million). The LegalTech company uses AI for lawyers and office personnel, closing an extended round in favorable industry times.
- Google & Accel AI India (India) — investments of up to $20 million (of $2 million in 10 startups). The new program from Google in partnership with Accel aims at early-stage AI projects in creativity, entertainment, and automation.
Leading corporations are also expanding the AI ecosystem: Nvidia is licensing the technologies of startup Groq and bringing its leadership onto the team instead of acquiring the entire business, while OpenAI and major IT companies are actively investing in data center infrastructure (Project Stargate, investments from Meta/Google/Oracle). These events confirm that investments are flowing into the entire technology stack — from foundational models to associated services and equipment.
Cybersecurity and Major Deals
In the cybersecurity sector, an arms race continues as major players consolidate. For example, Google announced the acquisition of Israeli startup Wiz for $32 billion, while Palo Alto Networks acquired CyberArk for $26 billion, both of which set record prices in the industry. ServiceNow has agreed to pay $7.75 billion for Armis (a 9-year-old company developing software for protecting critical infrastructure), more than doubling its recent valuation. Meanwhile, venture funding is ramping up: the Ukrainian-Israeli startup Cyera raised $400 million from Blackstone at its $9 billion valuation.
Overall, defense-cyber technologies remain in focus for investors: increased demand for cybersecurity is bolstered by new funds (for instance, €125 million from Keen VC for European defense startups) and active M&A deals preparing new growth points for capitalization.
Fintech, Cryptocurrencies, and New Banks
The fintech sector has been flooded with funds. Mexican fintech Plata, founded by former Tinkoff Bank managers, recently received a valuation of $3.1 billion after its latest $500 million round, making it one of the market leaders in Latin America. The American "crypto-bank" Erebor Bank raised $350 million, expanding lending services for blockchain companies. Niche solutions are also receiving support: for example, New York startup FINNY raised $17 million for an AI platform for financial advisors and CRM.
After a deep downturn, 2025 has become a time for the revival of interest in crypto startups: as the market stabilizes, blockchain projects are once again attracting venture investments and looking for long-term funding. This aligns with a global trend: as cryptocurrency services integrate into traditional finance, VC funds are reallocating resources into DeFi, stablecoins, and related infrastructure solutions.
Medicine, Biotechnology, and Eco-Tech
Innovations in medicine and the "green" economy have also captured the attention of venture investors. Boston-based biotech project SanegeneBio received $110 million for the development of new RNAi therapies. New York startup Neurable (neurointerfaces EEG) closed a $35 million Series A to launch wearable devices for brain state monitoring. The American platform Truemed (Andreesen Horowitz among investors) attracted $34 million for a service utilizing HSA accounts for wellness purchases. Additionally, venture funds are financing AI safety projects: Red Queen Bio ($15 million from OpenAI) is developing AI tools for detecting bio-threats.
In the field of ecology and transportation, a key event has been the continued financing of "green" technologies. Startup ZeroAvia received $150 million for the development of hydrogen engines for planes, reinforcing the trend of investments in alternative energy and clean transportation. Thus, investment diversification is extending beyond AI — climate and medical innovations are also coming into focus.
Government Support and Investment Geography
Alongside private investments, government initiatives to support startups are also on the rise. China has announced the creation of three venture funds (each exceeding 50 billion yuan) for early-stage startups in "hard tech" (chips, quantum technologies, biomedicine, and more). In India, Google, in collaboration with Accel, is launching a new AI fund, planning to invest $2 million in ten promising local startups. In Europe, specialization is emerging: for instance, Dutch fund Keen VC is attracting €125 million for defense and aerospace-oriented projects. Sovereign funds from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore have increased their presence in fintech and "green" technologies in 2025.
Regional ecosystems continue to grow: the emergence of the first unicorns (in Fintech, e-commerce, etc.) in Latin America and Africa highlights the global nature of venture growth. Russia and CIS countries, despite sanctions, are witnessing a revival in startup activity: new local funds and accelerators are being launched to integrate projects into the global trend.
Corporate Deals and Outlook
Activity in the M&A and IPO markets is fueling the overall picture. Large tech companies continue to shape their portfolios: Nvidia licensed the architecture of startup Groq and hired its founder instead of purchasing the entire business. Many startups are preparing for IPOs: for example, Navan (formerly TripActions) and eToro completed successful IPOs, demonstrating exit prospects to investors. Corporations are accumulating funds for acquisitions — in light of increased valuations and decreased lending rates, a new wave of deals is anticipated in 2026.
As the New Year approaches, the startup market is likely to greet a moderately optimistic sentiment: by the end of 2025, investments and deal rankings are nearing records, and the portfolios of funds and companies are preparing for profitable exit strategies. Investors are focusing on established sectors (AI, fintech, biotech, clean technologies) while also paying attention to diversification and risk assessment. The year concludes with a strengthening faith in the long-term potential of technological innovations and expectations for maintaining investment momentum in 2026.
